Keywords

  • integratted pest management
  • internaional agriculture
  • IPM
  • plant-parasitic nematodes
  • plant pathology
  • root diseases
  • soilborne pathogens
  • soil health
  • vegetable diseases
  • vegetable pathology

Abawi, George Samuel

Professor
George S. Abawi is a professor of Plant Pathology and International Agriculture at Cornell University. He received his MSc. And Ph.D. degrees from Cornell. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Nematology at Cornell from 1970 to 1972, after which he was appointed as a faculty member in the Department of Plant Pathology at the NYS Agric. Expt. Station, Cornell – Geneva. The major area of his research responsibility deals with Vegetable Pathology, with emphasis on the biology and the integrated management of root diseases caused by pathogenic fungi and plant-parasitic nematodes. Special interests are in soil health issues and tropical pathology and international agriculture in general. Sabbatical leaves have been with the University of California – Davis, University of Illinois – Urbana, North Carolina State University – Raleigh, and the International Tropical Research Center (CIAT) in Cali, Colombia (SA).

research

research and scholarship focus

Research efforts have focused primarily on determining the biology and ecology of soilborne pathogens (both pathogenic fungi and plant-parasitic nematodes) that are impacting the production of vegetable and food legume crops. Investigations on the management of plant diseases have followed the strategies and approaches of integrated pest management (IPM). Special research efforts have dealt with microbial interactions, soil health issues and sustainable practices for disease and crop management.

research areas

international geographic focus

affiliations

faculty appointment in

member of graduate field

other Cornell affiliations

teaching

teaching focus

Training of graduate students and assist in formal instruction when asked.

service

outreach focus

The major focus is providing the latest background information available on the diagnosis and management of plant diseases impacting vegetable and food legume production in the state to extension educators, growers and other agricultural industry providers. The latter include training of extension educators, consultants and interested growers in conducting on-farm assessment of soil infestations with disease organisms and using the information in deciding on the need for management, if any. Special recent interest is in soil health and sustainable soil management practices, thus the outreach efforts are focused on increasing the literacy in soil health issues through organizing field days, hands-on training sessions and special workshops.

publications

selected publications (listing in progress)

Gugino, B. K., J. E. Carroll, T. L. Widmer, P. J. Chen, and G. S. Abawi. 2007. An IPM program for managing fungal leaf blight diseases of carrot in New York. Plant Disease 91:59-65.

Gugino, B. K., J. W. Ludwig, and G. S. Abawi. 2007. Damage and management of Meloidogyne hapla using Oxamyl on carrots in New York. J. of Nematology 39: (Accepted).

Gugino, B. K., J. E. Carroll, T. L. Widmer, P. J. Chen, and G. S. Abawi. 2007. Field reaction of carrot cultivars for susceptibility to fungal leaf blight diseases in New York. Crop Protection 26: (Accepted, DOI:10.1016/j.cropro.2006.06.009).

Shengrui, Yao, I. A. Merwin, G. S. Abawi, and J. E. Thies. 2006. Soil fumigation and compost amendment alter soil microbial community composition but do not improve tree growth or yield in an apple replant site. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38: 587-599.

Yao, S., I. A. Merwin, G. W. Bird, G. S. Abawi, and J. E. Thies. 2005. Orchard floor management practices that maintain vegetative or biomass groundcover stimulate soil microbial activity and alter soil microbial community composition. Plant and Soil 271: 377-389.

Molinari, S., F. Lamberti, L. W. Duncan, J. Halbrendt, M. McKenry, G. S. Abawi, J. C. Magunacelaya, R. Crozzoli, R. Lemos, A. P. Nyczepir, P. Nagy, R. T. Robbins, J. Kotcon, M. Moens, and D. J. F. Brown. 2004. SOD polymorphism in Xiphinema americanum-group (Nematoda: Longidoridae). Nematology 6: 867-876.

Padgham, J. L., G. S. Abawi, J. M. Duxbury, and M. A. Mazid. 2004. Impact of wheat on Meloidogyne graminicola populations in the rice-wheat system of Bangladesh. Nematropica 34: 183-190.

Padgham, J. L., J. M. Duxbury, A. M. Mazid, G. S. Abawi, and M. Hossain. 2004. Yield loss caused by Meloidogyne graminicola on lowland rainfed rice in Bagrladesh. J. of Nematology 36:42-48.

speaker at Cornell event

Keywords: integratted pest management, internaional agriculture, IPM, plant-parasitic nematodes, plant pathology, root diseases, soilborne pathogens, soil health, vegetable diseases, vegetable pathology